The Beginning of The End
by xercesawake
Summary: Miranda is a very rich and influential woman. She is a force in a world plunged in economic depression and on the verge of another world war. The woman knew many terrible things would happen before they did. What secrets has Miranda been keeping?
1. Chapter 1

Andrea was working for the New York News Corp. She had the job for over five years. She was forced to leave her assistant position with Miranda at _Runway_ when their relationship had developed into something inappropriate between Employer and Employee. N.Y.N.C was happy to have Andrea and she quickly became a prominent Financial Correspondent before the Great Crash of 2029 hit the country that sent unemployment sky rocketing to nearly 50%.

The unilateral military control of the United States had held strong since the collapse of Soviet Russia, but in its arrogance it had spread itself thin occupying countries across the African Continent and North Asia, building bases and implementing new leadership where they saw fit. The west provoked the rising power in the East to attack when U.S forces began occupying South Asia. Chinese and U.S military leaders met to try to diplomatically solve the problem, but had only inflamed the anger felt on both sides.

The Chinese defended several Border facilities when ambushed by U.S drones and ground forces. The event lasted a week and killed hundreds of Americans in the process. The U.S President's response was a bomb campaign in the southernmost part of the country. Killing thousands of Chinese Military and Civilians, even some American's who had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. The entire world was shocked by the incident, several countries pulled out of the U.N in protest of the military actions of the U.S.

The Chinese responded to the incident without violence, but hit the U.S where it hurt and hit them hard. They had engineered a super virus that wiped out all Internet capabilities across the nation. Not even half a decade before the U.S had made the leap to be a nearly exclusively electronic system, something that was considered to be very environmentally friendly, and save a lot of time. Newspapers, magazines, Textbooks, your mail, your receipts, were all delivered to you on a device.

The crash had been inevitable for the U.S at that point, the dollar was already depleting in value, but the disablement of the internet accelerated the process. On top of that, China ceased all exports to the U.S. Its Middle Eastern allies backed them and imposed their own energy sanctions on the U.S. It left the entire country completely cut off from the rest of the world, and left to die, but the American People had no idea what was going on.

Almost immediately after the inauguration of the new Republican President of The United States, Ervine Washington, the country plunged into a great depression. It was far greater than the crash of 1929. The press blamed the crash on the Cyber Terrorist attack from China that realistically had occurred mere weeks _after _the collapse of the dollar. The President immediately rallied Americans for a retaliatory attack on the nation that planted the super virus. It would transfer some of that murderous rage outside the White House to a foreign enemy instead of the domestic enemy that had truly killed the economy. The President responded in the only way he knew how, with the great, unimaginable force of the U.S industrial complex and her few allies, declaring WWIII.

Miranda's connections to big business had really helped Andrea get deep into the system. She produced ground breaking stories on economic issues in New York City, even winning an award for her work. She seemed to have made it, her dreams of success and happiness had come true. She had the woman of her dreams, and the job of her dreams. She felt like she was on top of the world, while the rest of the world was at the bottom. The E-Paper had published several stories recently covering the Occupy Wall St. Protests in the financial district. Their numbers had grown significantly since the crash earlier in the year to hundreds of thousands if not over a million protestors. The stories told of anarchists picking fights with police officers and looting of NYC stores and homes in the area. The mayor called for the police to deploy full force and do whatever it took to keep people away from the banks. She was very nervous to cover the action when she was asked to attend a march in the late evening.

The sounds of hundreds of thousands of voices roared as one against the line of officers stomping their way through a large group of protestors. White NYPD drones flew overhead, like great metal birds in the sky, shining spotlights into the crowd. The little turret attached to its belly aimed at the moving bodies below it, zeroing in on faces, storing them into a memory bank for identification. A large truck rolled to a stop behind the line of policemen. It's size comparable to that of a tank. It was black and white with the words NYPD Police painted on the side, a large round dish, very similar to a satellite began to rise on top of the truck, and it aimed toward the crowd of protestors.

The sight of all of the military equipment stirred deep emotion in everyone around them. Some fled from the scene while others stood their ground. It was a sight that would make any humanist shiver. In America, these things don't happen. In Russia maybe but not in America, the one place in the world where people are guaranteed these rights to protest, especially in times like these.

A single officer broke off from the line of police men, thrashing his baton left and right, hitting the limbs of protestors in his path. The crack of the weapon against flesh stung the ears of everyone around him.  
"STOP IT! STOP HITTING THEM!" A random protestor yelled from the crowd. Several others parroted the same message, their hearts racing and crying out at the sight of the violence.  
"GET BACK! GET BACK!" The officer screamed holding his baton above his head, his stance wide, threatening another blow to anyone who came near him. A small black woman emerged from the crowd of protestors, tears pouring from her face.

"Please Officer! I can't find my son! Help me, please!" the distraught young woman screamed, begging the police man in riot gear.  
"I said GET BACK!" He screamed, shoving the young woman to the ground, delivering a series of blows to her small body just to prove his point. A group of officers surrounded the young woman. One officer pressed his knee into her lower back, while two others forced her hands behind her back, then carried her off behind the line of policemen. It was surreal, what the fuck was going on?  
Andrea had never felt so much anger and injustice in her entire life. These people were being treated like dogs. It broke her heart to see her cities fine police force do so much damage to the very people they were sworn to serve and to protect. She knew these movements had been growing by millions all over the country and now she knew why and who the perpetrators inspiring the violence truly were and who they were protecting.  
The line of policemen began advancing toward the crowd, marching like soldiers into the fray. The crowd wouldn't budge, frustrating several officers, who in return pulled out large canisters of mace and began spraying indiscriminately into the crowd. Andrea knew it was time to go. She managed to shove her way through the buzzing, angry, crowd to the entrance of a subway station before she heard the awful pained screams of thousands of protesters. Everyone scattered, trying to escape this terrible invisible burning they felt just under their skin. The big truck seemed to be in the direct path of the heat, it had to be some new kind of microwave crowd dispersant. She ran into a nearby subway where she rode a train home to the Upper East Side.

Andrea returned home late that night to share her experience with her wife, but Miranda was disinterested, distant and even cold. It confused Andrea greatly, the woman she fell in love with years ago would have gone on a rampage hearing about such injustices in her City. This woman was completely un-fazed.  
"They are dirty, lazy, and pathetic little people. If they worked half as hard at getting a job as they do protesting, maybe they wouldn't have to sleep on the streets, using trash bags for cover." Miranda said with an ice cold lilt.  
"You arrogant, self-righteous, self-serving…. Bitch!" The brunette blurted, anger boiling beneath her skin.  
"There are no jobs, Miranda! My best friend is about to lose her home because she has not been able to find a job. She has a degree from Cornell and she was a professor at Columbia. Now, she can barely afford to feed her daughter. I can guarantee she's not letting that happen to her because she enjoys it!"  
Miranda's eyes were wide, shocked at Andrea's outburst of emotion, but they quickly narrowed back to that icy glare.  
"Why do you care? You're with me. You can have whatever, whenever, however you want it, Andrea. You should be thankful that we have gone relatively untouched by this entire thing. You should be thankful that I know the people that I do and that I have the money that I do. If it weren't for me, you'd be out there with those people wallering in their own filth like the animals that they are!"

"If it weren't for that printing press you bought, you would be just as well off as the rest of the publications around the country! These people have families just like ours. They are struggling to keep a roof over their head and food on the table. No one deserves this, people are suffering and dying at the hands of the people you call friends! I married you, not your money or your power. I saw something in you that no one else did, Miranda. But this is not the same woman I fell in love with." Andrea turned toward the windows in the townhouse; they had to install bars on the lower floors because people were breaking into the houses down the block. The thieves would strike when they knew the police were tied up downtown with the protestors. Miranda had even gone so far as to hire private security personnel that accompanied her to and from work and to social functions. She was completely sheltered from what was happening in the real world, she had the money to do so.

"Is that so? I was under the impression that you knew exactly what you were getting into when you married me. You knew exactly what I do and how I do it. Have I not always been that woman?" Miranda asked, her voiced calm but her fists were balled at her sides. Andrea did not respond, she supposed that she did know.  
"Now. I've had enough with this nonsense, Andrea. I don't want to hear any more about it. I forbid you to attend those protests anymore. They are far too dangerous for a young woman like you."  
"I am your Wife! I will not be forbid to do a thing! I will go wherever the hell I want, even if it displeases you!" Andrea screamed, she was truly stung and sickened by the words that came out of the mouth of the woman she chose to spend the rest of her life with. She turned to walk out of the room, maybe even to leave the house, she hadn't decided yet.  
"I will not stand for it, Andrea!" Miranda huffed her eyes narrow, her lips sealed tight in a frustrated frown, her hand reached out for the young woman's arm and pulled her close to her, making the girl look her in her eyes.  
"You stupid girl! You have no idea what's going on, do you? You think you know, Andrea? You think that it's bad right now? Do you have any idea what's coming?" Miranda screamed, her eyes softened when she saw the pained look on her young lovers face at her tight grip and loud words.  
"There's nothing we can do for those People." Miranda said as she let go. "All I'm worried about is my family. That's all." She looked at Andrea, she could see the disgust in her eyes at the things she was saying, and the way she was behaving, but if the girl only knew what they had planned, she would understand everything Miranda had done was in preparation for this moment, for this very disaster. She knew it would happen yet she told no one outside of her sphere of acquaintances and they all silently prepared for it. If only she knew what was on the horizon, Andrea would understand her isolationism, but she could not tell her a thing.

* * *

To Be Continued...

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	2. Chapter 2

Andrea had gone to bed in another bedroom on the second floor of their townhome. She was not sure what she was feeling, or what she should do. She had forgotten the reactions the older woman could stir in her, the passion that could fuel both her love and her hate. She had been with Miranda for so long now that she had forgotten just how cruel she seemed to be. If she did not know her she might have believed what she said about those people, but she know her. Didn't she? The things Miranda said made her feel like there was a big secret hanging between them that she had just come to notice. Maybe she didn't know her wife at all.

She woke to a body lying down behind her; the curves were soft and familiar. Miranda wrapped her arm around the young woman, holding her close. Andrea contemplated retreating from her embrace, but it had been so long since her wife showed her this kind of affection that it felt too good to let go.

"I'm so sorry. I know you're worried about your friends" Miranda said with her face buried in Andrea's back.

"What aren't you telling me, Miranda?" The brunette asked, her voice projecting the heaviness she felt in her heart.

"There are some things that you don't need to know, Darling. It's better if you just don't ask" The older woman responded evenly.

"I can't make sense of anything anymore. The world is falling apart around us and you don't seem to care. I feel like I don't know you and I… don't know what to believe. " Andrea said anxiously, sitting up quickly.

After having spent nearly every moment together outside of work since they got married, Andrea thought that she knew everything there was to know about Miranda. In reality, the fashion editor had hidden a very significant amount of her life from her, and from everyone. It took her five years to notice, but she could see that barrier in her eyes, she could see that there was something hiding behind them, dying to come out.

The girl had caught on in her first year at N.Y.N.C that her wife exercised some power over what happened in the White House. Andrea was very upset upon finding out, knowing full well that it completely undermined the way that a government should function in a Democratic society. She held a special place in her heart for those who could be bought and sold on Capitol Hill and she wasn't sure how she felt being married to a woman who owned several politicians herself.

Andrea also knew from being her assistant that she was part of a council of very rich and very powerful people from around the world that convened in private about world matters. They were called many things by outsiders, Bilderberg, Freemasons, and the Illuminati being the most infamous. Miranda simply referred to them as the council, and no one knew about her participation in the group but her first assistants, who were bound by law to never speak of its existence. Andrea had heard all the hype surrounding the group but she figured if Miranda was a part of it then they must be doing something right.

The older woman reached out to touch her young wife in the darkness. She truly hated seeing her so upset. She felt a pang in her stomach; she was not sure what it was. She rested her palm on her abdomen, trying to calm the visceral feeling. Could this be the horrid pangs of guilt she feared she would be subjected to through this ordeal?

"I've arranged a car to pick us up in the morning to take us to the airport. I will have your things shipped to our destination so you only need to pack for a night" Miranda said, careful to word her command, to not sound as such. She tugged the girl to lie back down beside her.

"Where are we going?" Andrea asked as she settled down into the bed.

"That's not important right now. I'll explain everything soon" The older woman said in a whisper. She brushed the hair from the brunettes face, caressing her, staring deep into her eyes.

"How long has it been since you've kissed me, Miranda?" Andrea said in a sullen voice.

"Like you did that night in Paris"

Miranda's heart wrenched at the sound of her voice. She remembered vividly their first kiss in Paris; the memory brought a sad smile to her features. She knew things had been crazy lately and that they had not been able to spend much time alone, but she did not realize how badly her wife was missing her.

"Je t'aime, chérie" The silver haired woman whispered into her young lovers' ear, pulling her close, and wrapping her arms around her.

"Comment pourrais-je vivre sans vos belles lèvres sur le mien?" She quietly breathed in perfect French before she pressed her lips to Andrea's. That beautiful voice

and those soft gentle lips, the young woman remembered exactly what had kept her by her side through it all. Moments like these were worth everything, no matter how upset, how scared or how disappointed Andrea felt about the decisions that her wife made. There was no one in the world that could make her feel like this. There is no one who could do the things that she does and get away with them, no one but Miranda.  
They melted into each other, each brush of their lips felt like something wild and beautiful. Something unexplored even after years of adventures in the plains of their desires. They felt the blood pumping through their hearts, there breathing heavy as they moved against one another.  
Miranda pulled away and pressed her forehead against her lovers, she took deep calming breaths.

"Things are about to get very bad, Andrea. I'm going to need you to trust that I can take care of us. Do you understand?"  
She laid a hand on the brunette's hip, her eyes pierced through the darkness.

"I don't imagine it could get much worse than this, Miranda." Andrea said dismissively, rolling over, facing away from the older woman.

"Don't be so sure" she said lying close behind the young girl, pressing herself closer.

Andrea did not feel like fighting anymore, however short lived their moment of passion was, she knew that it was over now. Miranda kept telling her that something big was coming, but refusing to tell her just what. 'Soon' was her automated response. Exhausted by the previous day's work and what tomorrow would surely bring, they both fell asleep.

-  
Andrea was shaken from her sleep at the sound of breaking glass on the floor beneath them. She sat up and turned to look at Miranda who was already up and standing near the door. The tired looking woman pressed a small button under the light switch and a piece of glass emerged from the wall with a hum. It lit up with a blue keypad. She quickly punched in a code and small moving images sprang onto the screen. Miranda closed the door beside her, and pressed a tab that deployed all ten deadbolt locks inside of the door. If someone wanted in this room, they were going to have to bulldoze the entire wall down.

"There's a group of kids trying to break-in" Miranda said staring intently at the screen, her voice surprisingly calm.

"There are four of them, two of them are armed." She said as she began pressing different buttons on the small screen.  
Andrea heard more noise downstairs. She was unnerved. It was incredibly eerie to think there might be people inside of their home, tearing it apart, taking what they pleased. Her heart also simultaneously felt pity for the young boys who were so desperate they might be doing these things just to survive.  
She leapt out of the bed and stood next to Miranda to see the security feed. The older woman pressed a bright red button in the corner of the screen.

"Consider this you're warning, you don't want to die on my door step" she said in an icy tone to the boys outside.

"Please don't hurt them!" Andrea whispered sternly when she saw Miranda opening the _'defenses'_ tab and reading the list of options. _'Lethal '_or_ 'non-lethal'_

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm only trying to scare them" she scoffed pointing to the small image of the front doorstep.

"Lovely, the little one is telling us to go fuck ourselves" she chided as she pointed to a boy in a black hoodie with his middle finger extended.

They watched the group of young boys trying to pry the metal bars from the window to slip inside. One boy reached in and shot several rounds off inside of the dining room.

"What the fuck is he doing?" Miranda said irritably. She pressed the _non-lethal_ tab and a small list of options illuminated before her.

'_Lead foam'_

'_Taser projectile'_

'_ocular impairment'_

'_auditory impairment'_

'_Mace'_

'_radio dispersant'_

She dragged the _'ocular impairment'_ option and dropped it onto the security feed of the boys. A bright light pulsed on the image, the boys scattered covering their eyes, stumbling out onto the street. They tried to blink away the blackness that they saw, but were temporarily blinded by the light.

"That was me being nice. If you want to stick around, I've been dying to try my flamethrower " Miranda said wickedly to the boys as she watched them begin to gain back their eye sight and contemplate another assault on her home. They all seemed against it, agreeing that it just was not worth the trouble, there were hundreds of other homes in the area that didn't have these high tech defenses. They all walked off with their shoulders slumped, and their heads hung low, feeling disappointed, knowing the Priestly residence was the richest residence on the block.

She pressed the button to release the deadbolts and the door clicked open. She grabbed her young wife's hand and they descended the staircase together. Miranda surveyed the damage. There were several bullet casings on the floor, and bullet holes in the walls, in the china, and in the chairs. Under any other circumstances, Miranda might have chased those young boys down the street, drug them back to her doorstep and made them pay for this damage, in one way or another. But seeing as to how this would be her last night in the townhouse, she shrugged it off and took another look out the window, cautious that the boys might come back.  
They spent the morning packing for their flight. They hardly exchanged words as they flew past each other, grabbing what they needed from different places throughout the house. Andrea tried to press Miranda as to exactly where they were going but she wouldn't budge. She finally however, agreed to explain once they boarded the plane.

In the early afternoon they waited in the foyer, with their suitcases and bags in a pile next to them. They watched as a sleek silver Mercedes pulled up in front of the townhouse. Their husky driver, Roy, greeted them at the door with a small smile. He helped them with their luggage, stuffing the mountain of bags into the trunk, forcing it to fit.

They drove silently through the Upper East Side. Miranda sat leaning against the door, and staring out the window, her large sunglasses covering her eyes. This was the richest part of the city, so it was fairly well kept compared to other neighborhoods in the surrounding area. The stink of the real world took much longer to reach them inside their fortresses but it reached them none the less.

Once they left the area they saw mass piles of trash on the sidewalks. The government had cut nearly all public programs. There was no waste management, there was no public education. Most children roamed the streets during the day, their minds unchallenged, and illiterate.  
Social welfare was a distant memory in the vestibules of the mind of Americans who remembered a time when there was such a thing. A time before war and the colonization of the world took precedent over the sick and dying in their homeland. There was no safety-net anymore. When you fall, you fall hard and straight to the very bottom. The only jobs left it seemed were to join the military or the police force, though the only difference between the two these days was killing foreigners or killing your neighbors.

They pulled into a gated area off of the Hudson River. There were military and police boats out in the water, with a sprinkling of civilian sailboats out in the distance. The car rolled to a stop near a small private plane. The stairs were extended, and Roy began carrying the bags onboard. Miranda greeted the small flight crew and allowed Andrea to board first, following shortly behind her.

Once inside Miranda took her seat on the other side of the isle next to Andrea. The girl had already taken her heels off and was sitting with her legs crossed in the seat. The fashion maven smiled at the ease of her partner. When they first got together Andrea was hesitant to even curse around her. She was afraid it might offend the older woman, but she soon discovered that Miranda had a very colorful vocabulary of her own.

When the stairs were raised and the flight crew took their seats, Miranda reached out to grab her wifes hand. Even being one of the most powerful women in the world, there was nothing that terrified her more than taking off in these small planes. No matter how irrational the fear was, nothing helped but holding onto Andrea. She didn't let go until the plane leveled out and the flight attendant asked them if they wanted drinks.

"I'll have a pinot noir, and bring the bottle." Miranda said as she released her vice grip from the small hand beside her.

"Water, please" Andrea said with a smile. The older woman looked at her incredulity.

"You're going to need something stronger, Darling." Miranda suggested.

"Okay… I'll have a Gin Daisy, then" she said as she looked up at the woman taking there order. "I still want that water, though" She added just before she walked away.

She turned to look at Miranda, who had pulled out her tablet and begun scanning through pages of documents on the bright screen.

"Why are you trying to get drunk in the afternoon?" the brunette asked the obviously tense woman beside her.

"Because I'm about to tell you something that I have never spoken about with anyone before" Miranda said looking up from her device and into her young wife's eyes, trying to convey just how difficult this was going to be for her. The flight attendant returned with their drinks, setting the bottle of wine on a tray in front of them.

"Thank you. We would like our privacy for the remainder of the flight."

The older woman took a generous swig of wine before settling back into her seat. She looked up at Andrea, begging her not to make her do this, if it was one thing she hated, it was thinking about the past, and having to explain why she did the things she did.

"Where are we going?" Was Andreas first question, the one that had been eating at her all morning.

"Denver, Colorado." Miranda answered quickly, taking another swig of her wine.

"Why?"

The older woman had a pained look on her face, like it was literally hurting her to reveal this information.

"In the event that Washington D.C is compromised, Denver becomes the capitol of the United States"

"Compromised?"

"Destroyed." Miranda said finally, letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"What!?" Andrea said in a rough voice, her heart suddenly sprinting in her chest. She was thankful for the cocktail in front of her.

"There will be a series of nuclear attacks along the east coast in the next week. They're targeting several densely populated areas." She revealed in a low voice

"That's why we left the city, there's over fifteen million people there, it's the biggest target next to the capitol."

Andrea connected one dot to another, but was still unable to wrap her head around the idea of destruction of that magnitude.

"If you know about it, then they can stop it, Right?"

Miranda looked away from the girl, her innocence was overwhelming, it made her feel particularly disgusted with herself, this woman thought too much of her, she placed her in the heavens with the saints. She truly belonged in the coldest parts of underworld for her deeds, her face frozen in perpetual shame. She shook her head sadly.

"Do you remember those meetings I would attend that were in a different, secret location around the world each year?" She asked looking back at the small woman next to her.

"The council, yes. But I thought it was all just business stuff"

"It is in a sense. Long before I became editor of runway I worked for the CIA as a French asset. I was a spy in southern France; I lived there for ten years. I was very good at what I did."

"What did you do?

"It was my job to survey potential National Security threats to the U.S. I was sent in with another agent to monitor the activity of three French Businessmen who were suspected of funding a large terrorist cell that operated throughout Europe." She drained her glass of the deep red liquid and grabbed for the bottle to refill it quickly.

"Turns out that they were funneling millions of dollars to this terrorist group, but I also discovered that the cell was receiving funding from MI-6. The group received several hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from MI-6 alone. I was shocked by the discovery and I told my handler immediately." Her lips were relaxed, she felt like once she had started it was easy just to keep going. She let herself speak these truths she kept bottled up for so long.

"I was approached later the same evening that I had spoken to my CIA handler by a woman who said that she used to work for Great Britain's intelligence agency. She was a rich and powerful businesswoman. She took me under her wing and prepared me for the same wealth and power that I would share one day with her. She introduced me to many prominent leaders and business owners around the world. They all loved my attitude and the precise and efficient way that I did my work. They asked me to join them, and I accepted."

"What do you people do?"

"We are the puppet masters, if you will. The elected leaders of the world dangle from our strings, bending to our will, whether that be right, left or center, it doesn't matter. In the end, every major decision is made by us. We've engineered this collapse to happen, we gave the super virus to China, and we approved the nuclear campaign along the east coast. This has been a century long process, finally coming to fruition. All starting with world war one."

"Why?" Andrea could barely breathe the word, her mouth hung open in a shocked expression.

"It is their belief that the population has grown too large to maintain a comfortable existence for us. It's what we call 'down-sizing. That is the primary purpose of war, depopulation en mass." Miranda turned away from Andrea and stared out of the window of the plane, down at the world, whose destiny she had decided, below.

"I've sold my soul to the devil. Any shred of empathy I felt for anyone outside of my acquaintances, disappeared. I became a wolf in a world filled with sheep. Malice is in my blood and im afraid that I will always be tainted by it." Her stomach wrenched with pangs of guilt, they were terrible, awful, she reached for her glass of wine and held it close to her.

"I spent most of my life searching for someone who could make me feel the way you do, you are the only one I was ever willing to let in. The best day of my life was the day that I married you."

Andrea didn't want to believe it, it was all so crazy, it was all just too unbelievable. Yet she looked into her wifes eyes, red with welling tears and she knows that it's true. Every single word.  
She held her hand over her heart, her eyes wide with silent tears streaking down her face. This was the end of the world as they knew it, the west would fall from power completely, and the far more oppressive regime of the east would rise to replace them. Miranda had been right, things were going to get far worse than a few people rioting in the streets. Everyone she saw last night was going to be obliterated, along with those in D.C and where ever else they were planning to strike. The death toll would rival that of Stalin, Hitler and Mao combined.

* * *

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	3. Chapter 3

The plane hummed with power as it flew through the atmosphere. The small vessel vibrated noticeably with turbulence. Bright strikes of lightning flashed on the horizon, illuminating the massive white clouds that surrounded them.

"What kind of downsizing are we talking about here?" Andrea asked after she took the last swig of her cocktail. She was not entirely sure she wanted to know the answer. She was afraid what she might do.  
"I really don't think you need to know that. I don't want to upset you any further." Miranda said, hoping the girl would just allow her to enjoy the effects of the red wine and suddenly wish to switch to an upbeat conversation. She really hated speaking about this. She never had to face what she may be responsible for, it was too late any way. The plan was set in motion. Any day now, the world would change. There is nothing anyone could do about it. Not even her.  
"I'm already upset. You promised that you would answer my questions." The young woman said with narrowed eyes, frustration apparent in her features.

Miranda took a deep breath, and noticed that her glass of wine was running low. She lazily picked up the nearly empty green bottle of expensive red wine.  
"We estimate an initial eighty-million casualties." She stared at the dark liquid she was pouring into her glass until it was emptied of every last drop. There was a distance in her pale blue eyes.  
"Everyone within the blast radius of the targets, about four miles, will die within minutes, and then there are those who will perish from the ensuing fires" Miranda said slowly, the numbers were the hardest to speak of; she never had to say them out loud before.  
"Over the next couple of months we expect another ten-million to die from a tsunami that will wash inland two hundred miles. And then thirty-million from radiation, starvation, disease, natural causes, civil unrest… suicides." The nagging pain in her belly flared again as the words easily fell from her lips as if she were explaining a business plan.  
She had not looked at Andrea as she spoke. She did not wish to see the disgust that was surely shining in her big brown eyes. When she was finally able to force herself, she turned to see Andrea hugging her knees to her chest, biting her thumb nail. Her eyes looked crazed, terrified, and… she seemed to be shaking.  
"Miranda." She was barely able to speak, she took a steadying breath.  
"That's over a hundred million people" Her mouth hung open, tears rolled down her cheeks.  
"Yes. I know." Miranda said looking away from her young wife. _Here comes the hysterics_. She thought to herself. She looked at her hands in her lap, wishing she could kick herself for her cowardice. She couldn't even look at the girl. _No one_ has ever made her feel so _terrible_ before.  
"I'm going to be sick; I don't know you at all!" Andrea said feeling her stomach twist and turn inside of her. The alcohol felt warm as it coursed through her, the sedative effect it had on her was the only thing keeping her from bursting apart.  
"I love you, you know that, darling." Miranda said as she reached for her small hand. Andrea pulled away from her grip. The last thing she wanted was for this terrible woman to touch her.  
"So what happens to my family? My parents?" She asked suddenly.  
"I've sent your parents on a nice vacation to Fiji, they will be very far away when everything happens."  
"What about my sisters? Amy just had a baby! Did you send them to Fiji too?" Andrea nearly yelled. She already knew the answer; Miranda had not seen her sisters since their wedding and always had to be reminded of their existence. The striking older woman said nothing; she crossed her arms across her chest and stared forward, biting down on her bottom lip.  
"What if I didn't want you to save me? What if I wished to die with everyone else?" her young wife cried, her voice weak but defiant.  
"Don't be absurd. You don't want to die, Andrea. Not like this"  
The older woman sucked the last drop of wine from her glass.  
"I'm not sure if I can live with myself! How am I supposed to live with _you_?" Andrea said as she stood from her seat.  
She glowered over the fashion editor, fists balled at her sides. The older woman did not flinch. She looked up at her angry wife and into her eyes. She felt that she might burst into tears. She could feel the contempt radiating from Andrea like heat, the only woman she's ever loved, absolutely hated her now. She feared her in that moment that the girl might lose control and slap her or choke her like her ex-husband used to do. But Miranda's features gave nothing away.  
"Then what? You've blown half a continent to shit, killed all of these people and done irreversible damage to the earth. Then what? You will inherit a wasteland! Is this the kind of future you envisioned for the girls?" Andrea was now pacing up and down the aisle.

"Of course not! You don't understand!" Miranda said dismissively looking out the window at the patches of green earth they flew over, silently. The majestic clouds bellowed with thunder, spraying fat droplets of rain onto the small plane windows.  
"It is out of my control. There is nothing that I can do about it. I see no reason for a debate. What's done is done. Things are not going to be the same, Andrea." Miranda said with a voice as cold as ice. Sitting up from her coward position, her back straight, her head high.  
"When we get to Colorado, secret service will escort us to our temporary home. These people don't fuck around." her tone of voice was one that Andrea had not heard in a very long time. She remembered this chilling tone when she began working for her years ago as her assistant. It was amazing how quickly she could conjure this malicious side of herself.

"If you become a threat to this operation, you'll be thrown into a pin with the rest of the political dissidents. The only way you have rights is if you are with me. You can stay with me, or you can leave. But if you don't die from the radiation or starvation you will wish you had after being locked inside of a cage with thousands of desperate men and women." She crossed her legs and buckled her seat belt. Her chin held high, haughtiness protruding from her every pore.  
"Now, sit down. We're about to land" Miranda said with a sharp tongue, quickly re-establishing her dominance. She did not realize she could still be so effortlessly cold, even to her young wife but she had had enough. How was she supposed to get through these next couple of months with her potentially raising hell among the people they will keep company with? The girl had to learn her place. She had to accept the new order of things.  
Andrea's mouth hung open and she stood there for a moment without moving. Miranda said nothing more. The seat belt light illuminated and she reluctantly took her seat, buckled herself in, and crossed her arms. She stared out the window at the angry rain clouds outside. Looking away from the woman across the aisle whose eyes she could feel boring into the back of her.

They landed and unloaded their luggage without incident. There were two tall men that were there to escort them. They introduced themselves to Miranda and she shook their hands gently. Andrea refused to acknowledge them at all. They climbed inside of the black SUV. They all sat quietly as they drove away from the airport.  
Miranda stared at her wife as they rolled along on the road, she was so beautiful, she knew she was her soul mate, and that she would do whatever it took to keep her close. She reached for the girl's free hand laying in-between them. The girl pulled her hand into her lap and shifted uncomfortably in her seat, sneaking a warning look at her. The look sent a jolt of pain through Miranda.  
The fashion maven slid on her oversized sunglasses and stared out the window, looking at nothing in particular. Just wishing to escape the pain she felt in the moment. What had she _done?_ They drove up a road that Andrea began to notice was going up the side of a mountain. They nearly reached the top until they came to a stop in front of a wall of rock. The driver spoke into the microphone on his wrist and the rock disappeared, revealing a large hole and a dully lit tunnel. They followed the road inside of the mountain, continuing to climb as it spiraled upward until it opened up into large parking garage filled with the most luxurious cars Andrea had ever seen. They rolled to a stop in front of a large glass door where she could see a single elevator. One of the men slid out of the passenger seat and opened the large glass door for the two women.

He followed shortly behind them, and the black SUV drove out of view. He looked into a camera mounted on the wall, and smiled. The elevator door slid open with a ding. The three of them stepped inside, Andrea looked around hesitantly. Where exactly was this elevator taking them?  
There were no buttons inside of the elevator, just another camera in the corner of the car. They were descending rapidly, for what seemed like forever. Miranda held onto the railing next to her, head held high, alert and listening to all of the sounds around her.  
The car finally came to a halt and slid open. Cool air rushed toward them like a gust of wind. They stepped out of the car into daylight. There was a clear blue sky, but Andrea was sure that they had descended thousands of feet inside of the mountain. There were tall buildings and people walking along sidewalks.  
"What is this place?" She thought out loud.  
"This is metropolis. The top of that building over there will be our home for the next couple of months." Miranda said pointing to the tallest building in the small city. It really was a beautiful place, the architecture was amazing and the illusion of rolling fields of wildflowers in the distance gave her a giddy feeling. It all seemed like a dream.  
"Welcome home Mrs. & Mrs. Priestly" The man that had escorted them to this city below ground left them to walk the rest of the way to their building. They were in the most secure place in the entire country. She pointed up to the faint outline of a moon.  
"That's the command center. They see everything that happens inside of this city, they control everything." Miranda said just above a whisper.  
"And that structure just north of our building is the new capitol. The white house moved in yesterday evening"  
They walked through the city; the tall modern buildings towered over them. They passed by several couples and families, all impeccably dressed and all greeted Miranda with a friendly smile. When they finally make it to their building Andrea felt fatigued, it had been such a crazy day that she had constantly been either crying or trying not to. It was all too much to take in.  
she briefly noticed the penthouse décor before she found a bedroom and laid down. Miranda crawled into bed with her, still fully dressed, heels and all. Andrea's eyes shot open and she sat up.  
"I don't want you here. Get out!" She said pointing to the door  
"Andrea, my love. I… please" Miranda said reaching for her, wanting to touch her, sooth her pain. Even if she was the cause of it all. The girl laid back down, facing away from her wife.  
"Please. I just want to be alone." Her small body curled up into a ball, hugging a big white pillow close to her. Hoping it would bring her some small amount of comfort, she did not know where else to find it anymore.

Over the next couple of days, Andrea refused to get out of bed. She did not want to 'see the city' or 'get out'. Everyone in this place knew about the event, they came here to seek refuge from it. She felt that she was brought her against her will. She could not bear to go out, look them in the eyes, and pretend that she didn't hold a deep seeded disgust for them all.  
She watched them pour in one evening from her view at the top of the penthouse. She knew that it must be soon. Miranda came into the living area and saw her standing by the windows. She stood next to her and followed her gaze. They watched one family after another, step out of the elevator.  
"Please have dinner with me this evening, it would mean a lot to me" Miranda said in a sad voice standing next to her. She figured that her wife would say no, that the rest of her time spent here would be just as miserable as the last couple of days.  
Miranda wasn't sure she could handle it either. Maybe she shouldn't have ever told her. Maybe they should have just taken a nice quiet trip to New Zealand or some mountain top in Siberia. Just somewhere far away when the bombs drop, not hiding here, cooped up inside of a mountain. She might have done things differently if she could have foreseen this kind of reaction in Andrea. She wasn't sure what reaction she expected, either. But the council needed her here; Such dreams were useless fantasies now.

"Please, darling" Miranda said grasping her young wife from behind, resting her head on her shoulder.  
"I wish that I could change it, but the only thing I can do now is to keep up safe, I couldn't lose you. I just could not handle it." She slid her hands over Andrea's torso, holding her close. She had contemplated giving Andrea the option of staying or leaving, telling her before they left their home in N.Y.C, but the latter option was far too terrifying for the older woman to even consider.  
"Please, don't forget everything we have, Andrea. Everything we've been through. We can get through this." Miranda plead with a kiss on her young loves long, elegant neck.  
Andrea let her beg; and in the process she forgot everything. This beautiful woman was just her wife in that moment. She was not this malicious and horrifyingly powerful woman that she had found her out to be. She was just Miranda, ever enchanting, but so human in the moment that Andrea almost felt sorry for her.

The woman was ashamed. She had believed so strongly in The Councils judgment for so long that she forgot the reality of it. She would wrestle with her demons for the rest of her life. Andrea made her look at it from her point of view, as a part of the human race instead of something above it. She realized that her wife will suffer greatly during these attacks, and that she would have to live with the knowledge of her responsibility for them.  
When their lips met, Miranda stifled a cry. She had been so worried that Andrea would never agree to be intimate with her again, that her lips upon hers were the closest to heaven she had ever experienced. The fashion maven felt an overwhelming need to sweep this girl off of her feet and take her to the nearest bed. Show her that she was still that woman she married, and that she could still make her feel good. That she was still that same loving, and caring woman she had always thought her to be. The idea of losing her, because of her duties to the council terrified her. She prayed they could forget it all for just a few moments. So that they could be happy together again.

* * *

_Much more to come!_


	4. Chapter 4

Andrea and Miranda stumbled out of their bedroom. The bright light hit their eyes, blinding them momentarily. Their hair stuck up in odd places and their eyes were heavily lidded. They could still feel the weakness in their limbs and the steady thrum of their heartbeats echoing through their veins. Their silk robes captured the sunlight in the room, and they shimmered in the artificial rays.

"Hi Mom" Cassidy said from the kitchen behind them.

Miranda jumped and pulled her robes tight around her. Her daughters were standing in the kitchen. She had not expected them so early.

"Hey girls" she said with a nervous smile as she greeted them with bone crushing hugs.

They were both nineteen years old, yet already looked like grown women. She hadn't seen them since Christmas. They had started their second semester at Oxford together and lived in her cottage outside of Town. They had clearly inherited their father's height; they both towered over their petite white-haired mother.

"How long have you two been here?" Miranda asked innocently.

"We just got in. Have the things from the townhouse arrived yet?" Cassidy asked as her eyes wandered over the penthouse, apprehension tense in her features. She decided not to mention that they came home an hour ago and one strange guttural sound from their bedroom sent them nearly running back out of the front door. Cassidy knew that a great deal of awkwardness could be avoided by simply lying and changing the subject.

"Yes. They came in yesterday. Everything is in your rooms." Miranda said, pointing across the living room to a hallway that led to their bedrooms. The red-head nodded slowly, her eyes still raking over the penthouse interior. She was almost afraid to look outside. Her mind was unable to make sense of what it was that she saw. They were underground, but it did not look like it at all.

"What is this place?" Caroline asked, standing by the windows.

"Our temporary home" Miranda answered from across the room, pouring herself a hot cup of coffee.

The brew steamed in her ceramic mug. Her tongue moistened with desire for the bitter taste. She brought the cup too eagerly to her lips, and scalded her mouth with the piping liquid.

"Fuck!" She cried out as she spun around and spat the mean mouthful of coffee in the sink.

"Home?" Caroline repeated back to her mother. She finally looked out the large north windows, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.

The view was incredible. It was very strange seeing something that she just knew was not real. There was an illusion of control over God's own daily tasks. The sunrise and sunsets were only a mockery of nature, here. Tiny lights projected a picture of the sky across the ceiling, yet she could see no end to the depth of the blue. It was a strange and beautiful machine but hardly one she could enjoy. All she felt was unease when she looked out over the skyline. Nothing about it felt right.

"How long is temporary?" her daughter pushed, her eyes were distant and fearful of the world around her.

Miranda said nothing as she stared at the city behind her young daughter; she really had no idea exactly how long. They could be here for months, or years. Whenever everything is over, and it is safe on the surface, they can go home. They could, however, never go back home to New York City. No one could.

"I don't like this place. Everyone I've met so far is really weird." Caroline's freckled nose wrinkled in distaste.

"I couldn't help but notice the same thing" Andrea said more to her wife than to Caroline.

Miranda looked at her warningly. The last thing she needed was for her children to have a _reason _to hate her.  
It was a miracle that Andrea still spoke to her or that they had even made love last night when they had not been intimate in months. She remembered feeling so desperate to communicate. Her emotions overcame her like a sickness in their dark bedroom and had made her body tremble like wild blossoms on a moonless plain. Her wife could feel her pain through the twitch of her thighs against her. She could hear it in her cries for mercy that spilled from her lips like honey into the darkness.

Miranda feared she would crush her lover's fragile young body with the intensity of her touch. Her mind begged her arms to squeeze tighter, to bring her closer, to sooth the burning emptiness she felt weighing on her chest. The guilt had only mounted day by day, never losing an ounce of its great weight upon her heart.

She remembered staring into her eyes and searching for relief, for an answer. How could anyone truly love her after knowing everything she will be responsible for? How could this beautiful creature still look at her with such affection when she has stolen so much? Miranda could not bear her children to know what she's done. She could not bear two more reasons to hate herself.

"This is where we need to be, Caro" Miranda said finally. She could feel the emotion swelling at the back of her throat and begin to wet her eyes.

"I don't like it."

"I don't care" Miranda said as she walked past her child and into her study.

She started opening boxes and putting away her collection of literature. Her features gave nothing away, but the hurried, rough movements she made as she began stacking books, hinted to everyone in the room at the darkness that was clouding her mind.

"I'm an adult, you know. You can't make me stay here." Her daughters blue eyes were intense with frustration. She really enjoyed her studies in England and she had mentioned meeting a boy. She was very unhappy to have to leave school to come here, some creepy underground city.

"Just try it out for a couple of days, okay?" Miranda huffed, placing her hands on her hips. As if Caroline would even have a choice by tomorrow.

Caroline didn't reply, but continued to look out at the city without expression. Her young mind felt nothing but resentment for her mother at the moment.

Miranda shook her head and went back to stacking books. She was sorry that she had to take her away from something she loved and possibly even someone she loved but she could live with being hated. She could not live with losing her two babies. Her stomach sank low inside of her at the thought. How many mothers will she inflict with the very same pain that she fears most? How many faceless millions? She pushed the thought out of her mind with a few deep breaths. She did not have the luxury of breaking down now.

"Andrea and I will be leaving in an hour for Dinner. If you two don't decide to go out you can press nine on your phone for the kitchen downstairs." Miranda said as she abandoned her task in her study and walked into her bedroom without another word.

Andrea followed shortly behind her and shrugged toward the girls, turning her eyes momentarily toward the ceiling as she closed the door, as if to say _'what can you do?' _

"Maybe it won't be so bad." Cassidy suggested as she leaned against the windows, looking at her sister.

"You were dying to get out of school" Her twin replied with a sneer.

"It'll just be nice to have a little break"  
"Come on, Care. I'm sure Tristan will be there when we get back." Her twin said with a nudge.

Caroline smiled and it reached her eyes. She thought of the beautiful blonde boy waiting on the steps of their home in England, his light blue eyes hidden in the breeze by his curly blonde locks. It calmed her for only a moment until she thought of the distance and time placed between them. She had never met someone who had made her so happy before.

Inside the bedroom, Miranda and Andrea were getting ready for dinner. Andrea was leaning over the counter, her face close to the mirror, painting her lips a deep red. Her body was bare but for a small pair of black lace underwear that from this angle made Miranda's heart race. She felt her legs weaken and her body flash with heat. She desired to reach out and caress her beautiful form.

"I must warn you, tonight we will be among many council members. It is imperative that you do not let on your… distaste for the program. They do not tolerate criticism or dissidence of any kind."

"You don't think I can control myself?" Andrea asked without looking at her.

"Of course I think you can, but will you?" The older woman pleaded, she was as serious as her young wife had ever seen her.

"Andrea?"

"Yes, Miranda" She answered firmly.

There was a knock at the door and Cassidy popped her head inside.

"Hey, Caro and I are going to look around town. We'll be back later."

"Alright, make sure you know the code to the front door and I want you back here before dark" Miranda said but not before the door was closed and the footsteps on the other side faded to silence.

The silver-haired woman sighed and relaxed. She watched her wife pull on her long Sauvignon evening gown under the soft glow of the bathroom light. Her creamy skin was ravishing beneath the flowing deep red fabric.

"Stunning" She whispered.

The brunette smiled at her in the mirror, mischief sparkling momentarily in her rich chocolate eyes. The moment passed quickly. A saddened and helpless expression replaced her smile.

Miranda could hardly recognize her. She had married an obnoxious optimist, who believed in fairy tale notions of love and happily ever after. She had even made her believe in them too. But this woman had no hope in her eyes.

_How could I ask her to do this? After everything I've done?_ Miranda thought to herself. Her ice blue eyes followed Andrea as she slipped on her black pumps. The regal older woman sat relaxed in an armchair, her hand clutching an expensive glass of brandy.

_I've trapped her here with people celebrating the success of the program that will destroy everything she loves. She is their victim, and I'm making her sit in the same room with them. _

_I'm still asking her to love one of them._

_How could I be so cruel? _

_How could I forget everything that ever meant anything?  
_

She had forgotten the significance of having a family other than the one she had made for herself. Why she would let her go alone on Christmas or to any of the other stupid family gatherings she constantly flew home for, she would never understand. She supposed it was the same sociopathic tendencies that led to this very moment in time.

She should have been there, should have taken the time to get to know her family. Andrea nearly begged her to come with her but she always found some way out of it. Looking back now, she realized how little she truly gave to her wife, and how much she had truly given to her.

"I love you, darling. I really do." She said suddenly as the brunette sat next to her on the arm of her chair.

"I love you too, Miranda." Andrea replied with a look of slight surprise.

The older woman tugged her down to lie across her lap. The brunette squeaked and flailed for a few seconds before settling into her wife's arms. Miranda attacked her face with small kisses until she saw a smile spread across her beautiful face.

"Andrea, I know I've been terrible to you in the last couple of years. I know I don't deserve you" She hung her head as fat tears started to seep from her eyes.

"I'm so sorry. I never should have made you come here. I never should have forgotten your family, and I should have come to Christmas every year with you. I should have done so many things differently. My darling, I am so sorry."

"Calm down" Andrea whispered as she took Miranda's reddened face in her hands. She made her look into her eyes, and she wiped away her tears as she did.

"Breathe."

The silver-haired mogul did as instructed. She closed her eyes and breathed calmly in and out, her lips quivering with each breath she took.

"This dinner tonight, if you don't want to go, you do not have to." Miranda said before wiping away fresh tears.

"I mean, Everyone will be there. Capitol Hill, Wall Street, Hollywood… anyone who is important in Metropolis will be at this dinner tonight. And they will all be celebrating the _'_beginning of a new age' together"

"It's happening soon, isn't it?"

Miranda nodded and looked away from her again.

"I want to go with you. I can't let you go alone now, can I?"

Andrea placed several small kisses on her face until she saw her smile. Then she got up to grab her handbag and they began making their way down to the lobby of their hotel. Miranda held her arm softly at her side. She was handsome in her expensive noir pant suit and gold button up blouse, the two of them together turned the heads of everyone that passed them by.

* * *

**TBC**…

* * *

I apologize for the insanely long wait. I had some trouble with deciding where to take this, but I believe you will enjoy what I have in store for you.

Thank you for reading,  
**-X**


	5. Chapter 5

5.  
The glamorous couple arrived outside of the Capitol Plaza just as the last spot of sun disappeared and was replaced by the night sky. The two of them together shone with a brilliance that even these stars could not mimic.

Andrea felt a flutter in her chest. She felt nervous all of a sudden. She reached for wife's gold draped arm and held her close. She needed to feel the sense of security that only Miranda could provide. They slowly made their way up the grand marble staircase and into the Parthenon inspired new world structure.

Miranda's eyes wandered over the great columns around her. They towered over her, magnificent in their stature. The whole place sparkled white like the enamel of teeth. She couldn't help but think herself descending into the belly of a beast as they walked on toward the gathering.

She had spent the better part of her life building this place and it was all right here before her eyes. She remembered working on the plans for the Capital many years ago. She had handpicked every piece of fabric that hung on the walls and was sewn on the furniture. She remembered feeling great excitement in having a part in it, but she was surprised that seeing everything now, she felt nothing but contempt.

Their heels echoed loudly against the floors as they made their way toward the party. They could hear the low murmur of voices and they whispered that they were near. When the couple rounded the corner and the older woman scanned the room. She found many familiar faces. They were suddenly among the most powerful people the world had ever known.

Andrea could see the change in her wifes entire demeanor. Down here, she is not just Miranda Priestly. She is Royalty. She radiates like the sun, you can feel her presence like heat upon your skin. Her face was like stone, and her eyes were dark. They were so dark that the bright blue of her irises could barely be seen. Everyone that greeted her looked at her in awe. She was an Alfa even among these men.

It was a small occasion, only Council Members and their spouses were in attendance. Andrea had not realized it but she had met several council members in the past. She remembered meeting a couple of elected officials, media personalities, financiers and big business execs. She recognized nearly every member, having either met them or heard of them. Something about seeing them all in one room made everything fit together like a puzzle in her mind. Now she could see the bigger picture.

Everything she thought she knew was manipulation, deliberate misinformation, and utter propaganda. She had been just as much a part of it in the last couple of years as any other mainstream Journalist. She had no idea she was feeding this sick machine. Seeing it all now she could not rationalize to herself why she never saw it in the first place.

She saw the faces of famed news anchors, and people she always had great respect and admiration for, smiling and socializing with each other in the room. Now, knowing the evil that they were, it made her heart ache for the ignorance she once lived in. It was much more comfortable than this heaviness that now weighed on her chest. She tried to avoid all eyes in the entire room. She was sure she could not hide her anger.

These people had controlled the consciousness of the earth for a very long time. The brunette oddly found herself understanding her wife more and more every moment they stood in the presence of these men and women. They were human no doubt, but terrifying in their power.

_Maybe this was inevitable_. Andrea thought to herself_. _Even without Miranda, the council would have succeeded in their plans no less. She looked over at her wife. She admired the amazing way the woman held herself. She watched her make conversation with her fellow council members. She played her part terribly well. But at this point she didn't believe that Miranda wanted to be here anymore than she did.

A handsome older man with graying dark hair approached the two women where they stood. They were waiting for their glasses of Viognier that they had ordered moments ago from a young servant. Miranda stiffened next to her wife.

The young woman could feel the atmosphere chilling around them and thicken with a powerful energy. Andrea was not sure whose energy, but she was almost certain it was Miranda's. She almost felt like her wife was asserting it to protect the two of them from the man that approached. Andrea swore she could see the two forces battle each other in midair for dominance. She only recognized him when he was inches away; It was Daniel Sweeney, Secretary of State.

"Miranda, so good to see you've made it." He grinned as he leaned over and kissed Miranda's cheek. She flinched internally at the closeness of him.

"Mister Secretary." She said as she forced a smile that did not remotely reach her eyes.

"Andrea, you look exquisite, as always." The powerful older man said as he stared too long into her eyes. He could sense the discomfort between the three of them and it seemed to encourage him.  
"How are the twins?" He asked as he took a sip of his drink. There was a darkness about him that suffocated everything around them. The only source of light was Miranda's, but it seemed so dim next to this man.  
"They're fine, Mr. Secretary. They just arrived this evening."  
"Quite thrilled to be here, I'm sure."  
She did not reply but gave him a stiff smile. She seemed uneasy, like she wished he would go away. No one else had made her act this way since they arrived. It was disconcerting for Andrea to see her submit to this man the way she did. She wondered why, he just seemed like a pompous prick to her, but Miranda must know something about him that frightened her.

He addressed Andrea "Did you know that Miranda was briefly considered a contender for my seat?" He asked with a smugness that dripped from his features like tar.

Andrea shook her head, as much as she did not like him she had never heard a word about Miranda's political aspirations. She didn't even know she aspired to be in high office. The servant returned with their glasses of wine. Miranda held it delicately with her right hand as she listened to what the man had to say.

"Oh yes. Many here even thought that she should be the first President of the New World."

He waved his empty crystal glass in the air, signaling a nearby servant for another. The ice cubes clacked nosily in his glass before he sat it on a metal tray that passed by him. His eyes wandered over a shapely gold chest. He had no qualms about licking his lips before he looked right into Miranda's ice cold gaze.

_Pig_, Miranda thought to herself. She raised her eyebrow at him warningly. She hated being looked at like a piece of meat and by this man, no less.

"I'm most certain she has got the wits for it. She is one of the most brilliant women in the council's history. But I'm not so certain that she has the balls, there is a weakness in her that not too many see." He was so close to Miranda that she could smell the whiskey on his breath. He stepped back and looked at Andrea. He saw the anger boiling in her dark brown eyes like a vat of molasses, and he delighted at the sight.

"It has always been a man's job." He said finally with a wicked grin.

"Oh, that hasn't stopped her from doing much, Mr. Secretary" Andrea said slyly with a long sip of her wine. She stared back at him. She refused to back down, and looked at him until he looked away. She noticed the way he was staring at both of them and it angered her greatly.

"Daniel, it's been a pleasure." Miranda said as she guided her young wife with her hand at the small of her back, feeling the fury build in the small woman next to her.  
"We'll be finding out seats now." She glanced back at him as they walked away, knowing he was watching them closely. He was the only man who dared treat Miranda this way. Her eyes bored into him, channeling all of the rage she felt into one cold glance. He felt the chill hit him. She knew because she saw him shiver. He turned around with an arrogant shake of his head.

They sat down to dinner at a long table in the middle of a basilica. The structure mirrored the construction of the ancient temple of Hera in its infancy because the marble sparkled in the artificial moonlight. Great towering columns surrounded them and a pleasant breeze whipped sheer fabric between them. It reminded Andrea of something that belonged on Mt Olympus. She imagined these people thought they were the Gods themselves.

A caramel colored blonde sat down next to them, they both recognized her immediately as Senator Grisham from New York. Her pale shoulders were freckled and bare, her bright blue dress contrasted by the white of her skin. She was a beautiful woman no doubt, but deplorable.

Andrea had dealt with her extensively in her work as a journalist, and Miranda with her work as a council member. Neither of them cared for the senator, in fact they would be hard pressed to say much good about the woman.

"Miranda, Andrea, So wonderful to see you're here." Senator Grisham said with a smile so fake that they both felt the insincerity leaking from her lips, the woman never knew how to turn off Politician mode, the insincerity was always there.

"Isn't this grand? After everything we've been through this last week, I'd say we deserve a beautiful place in which we may feel secure" She continued talking without missing a beat.

She did not catch the disgusted face Andrea couldn't help but make. Miranda was amused but equally concerned. She began to rethink bringing her here, maybe control was not in Andrea's hands, she did not know how she expected her to behave but she wasn't doing very well. The couple was only half listening but 'everything we've been through this last week' caught their attention and they both exchanged a confused look.

"Has something happened, Diana? Andrea and I have been down here for a week and haven't heard much from the surface" Miranda asked with a cool smile, she faked sincerity much better than the blonde. Her wife could see how she would have made for an excellent secretary or president, a much more convincing one than most, at least.

"You must not have heard about Mr. Alexander White. He left the council about a week ago, and has been trying to warn the public about us. That prick has killed more agents in the last week than we have ever lost in the entire history of the council. The man was part of the French legion. He is one of the best trained guerrilla fighters in the world."

"Alex? Really?" Miranda asked, shocked. He seemed committed to the council above all else. Something must have happened to him, something big. He knew more than most that they would send everyone, and they would not stop until he was dead.

"Can you believe it? He is fifty years old and the man still thinks he's Rambo!" She picks up glass of champagne and holds it in front of her as she continued.  
"We know he has been training and arming citizens somewhere south-east of here, but we can't seem to find his exact location." She sips gingerly from her glass of champagne as she continued.

"He and a few others ambushed the airport and set fire to it yesterday. He killed two council members and then he just disappeared. He's hiding out in the mountains somewhere, but once the bombs drop I imagine he will not be much of a threat to the operation anymore."

She chuckles to herself. "He actually thinks he can stop us. How foolish he is to even try."

Miranda and Andrea did not know what to say. A council member had defected and he had somehow eluded their capture after burning an entire airport to the ground. He was the biggest threat to their plan that they had ever encountered. It excited Andrea and gave her some small amount of hope but it frightened Miranda.

She knew that his existence did not just put the life of the council in jeopardy but her and Andrea's lives, a man who knows the ins and outs of the council and uses his knowledge against them could easily bring harm to its entire existence. However, Miranda could not deny that there was a small spark of excitement within her at the prospect of burning this godforsaken place to the ground. The thought alone was worthy of death.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the Vice President entered the room. The entire place fell silent and they stood out of respect for their leader, Andrea did so under duress. The man was tall and handsome, his hair greying in streaks, his name was Benjamin Stork, and he was the leader of the council. He out ranked the president by years of service. He gave a small humble smile and motioned them to sit down.

"My friends" he said with open arms. "Our time has come. For over a century, our forefathers have worked tirelessly for this day. We are lucky enough to be here to live their dream. A new age is upon us, a new world upon which we may build a better one. Tomorrow all of our work will pay us very handsomely. Come morning, the world will belong to us." He says with hands high, welcoming applause.

Andrea boils with anger, unlike any emotion she had ever felt. This was rage. She feels her face flushing red and she sees crimson clouding her vision. She feels herself standing, she feels herself shaking. She could not control herself any longer, something was coming over her.

Miranda stands beside her wife. She gently grabbed her arm in a futile attempt to calm her. The white haired woman whose poker face no one could break, was wide eyed, fear apparent in her features as her eyes darted around the table. She met the curious and rather amused gazes of the council. She leaned close to her young wife's ear and whispers to her "Darling-remember what I told you. Please, don't do this."

Andrea does not look at her, her breathing is rapid, her nostrils flaring, her cheeks a furious shade of red. This was something that she had to do. To hell with the consequences, there was always a rebellious streak in her, and it ran deep.

"Is there something you would like to say, dear Andrea?" The vice president mocks from the other end of the table. A sickeningly self-satisfied look plastered on his face. It only enraged the girl even more and the words spilled from her mouth, almost as if it were someone else speaking from her mouth.

"Fuck every single one you. You are responsible for the deaths of countless, priceless human lives. The lives of whole families, people who feel happiness and pain, men, women and children. What you do tomorrow will not go unpunished, I believe that with all of my heart." Hot tears spill from her face, as she spoke these words. She knows her speech is her confession and it was all that they would need to put her to death. She did not care in that moment. She found only comfort in the idea of leaving this place, no matter how it had to be.

"One day I will see all of you hanging by your necks for everyone to witness and on that day I will dance in celebration with the rest of the world. But I will not rejoice in the death of even one Innocent. Human. Being. " She looked around the table, and into the eyes of each council member, burning them with her fury. She thought of her family and the horrible ends that they would come to, and that decision came from this very group of people. They weren't smiling anymore, not even one. Her eyes fell on to the Vice President.

"That's all I wanted to say."

A group of guards burst into the area, and they crowded around Andrea and Miranda. The older woman embraces her, wrapping her arms around her fully and squeezing her tightly. She feels she may break apart in this moment. It was the saddest moment in her entire life.

They were going to take her Andrea, they were going to take her and they were going to kill her. What she had said was far beyond what they would punish with imprisonment or slavery, especially after Mr. White and all of the trouble he had caused, they would take no chances with her. She decided in that moment that she would do whatever it took to get her back. She would get her entire family out of this fucking place, if it was the last thing she ever did.

She loosened her grip enough to press her mouth close to her ear, "My darling. My love" She crooned, unable to hold back the sobs that began to wrack her frame.  
"You are so brave."  
She combs her fingers through her beautiful soft brown locks and presses her forehead against Andrea's before taking her head into both of her hands.  
"Everything is going to be okay".

Her young wife sniffed and wiped away her tears with a scoff. "It's over for me, Miranda." She whispered.

"It is not over." Miranda says before she pressed her lips to her young wife, kissing her with all of the passion in her heart, knowing that if she did not succeed in breaking them out of here that this would be their final embrace.  
The thought brought fresh tears to her eyes. She couldn't stand the feeling, it was the worst than she could ever have imagined. She wanted to hold her forever, and she thought that she would have forever to do it.

They would not execute the woman tomorrow, not on such a glorious new world holiday, but when the festivities were over, they would execute her publicly. Her words were treason, and showed nothing but contempt and disrespect for the council. The punishment for which was death. There would be no investigation. There was not need. She had done this in front of the entire council.

The only reason Miranda had not joined her in death or even prison was because she had a twenty year history with the council and they knew her loyalty was unwavering. They would deeply underestimate her. No one has ever crossed Miranda Priestly and lived to tell about it. Her brain stormed with a thousand different thoughts, firing away inside of her like a thousand strikes of lightening. She was not sure how, But she had no other option. She would grab her daughters, and she would do it. She would leave this life for good.

Miranda felt her slender body being pulled away from her embrace and she reluctantly let go. She straightened her posture and wiped away her tears, trying to regain composure. She knew all eyes were upon her in that moment, the thought nearly drove her crazy. She watched them drag her wife away, their hands holding her roughly, treating her like a common criminal. She felt herself begin to tremble with her own frustration. Andrea was out of sight. She turned to the table and then to the V.P. They were all looking at her expectantly. _What did they want her to say?_

"I apologize," She said as she sat back down without another word. Tears fell down her face still, and she wiped at them quickly. Senator Grisham looked at her, mouth open and with a look of utter dismay. It was not unlike the rest of the faces surrounding her. The table sat quietly, staring at Miranda and whispering to each other until dinner was served. Soon the entire debacle was forgotten, but Miranda would never forget, and she silently contemplated a way out.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6.

It was late, Miranda burst through the front door of the penthouse, startling her dozing daughters who were sprawled out on the couch watching a film. They whipped their heads around and watched their mother bound toward her bedroom, no Andrea.  
"Mom?" Cassidy called out.

"Where's Andrea?"  
Miranda stopped at her bedroom door. Just hearing her name pierced her heart; it was like a searing knife to her chest. _Andrea, Andrea, Andrea,_ her mind repeated like a mantra.

_My beautiful wife._

She turned around and walked back into the living room. Before appearing from the hallway, she wiped away the tears that had wet her cheeks. It was futile. She had not looked at herself yet but she was sure she looked terrible. Her children would know, and she would have to explain.  
They looked at her with wide, worried eyes. They were so young. She had shielded them from most of life's misery but she was about to fling them into a life of nothing but. It was no longer a choice.

"They" she began, but emotion caught her throat and she struggled to speak.  
"They took her, she's in prison." She sat down in the chair next to the windows, her hands folded in front of her and her eyes to the floor, a distance about her that they did not understand.  
"What? Who took her mom? Why is she in jail? What did she do?" They asked. An onslaught of questions she wished she had a choice _not _to answer. All she wanted was to crawl into her bed, never to rise again. She wanted to disappear into the mattress and just be at peace. This was all too much.  
Their white haired mother looked up at them. It startled them; she had a look about her, almost as if Andrea had died. Grief, anger and melancholy painted her features with a darkness they had never seen in their mother.

"The council, the people I've been working for. The reason we are here. She couldn't keep her goddamn mouth shut!"  
She couldn't sit, not now. Her nerves were everywhere, flying inside of her trying to escape, and she wished they would, just to feel some relief from this pain.  
"They are going to k-kill h-her" She wailed. Burying her face in her hands, scalding tears rolling down her cheeks, she had cried so much now that it physically hurt. Everything hurt; her entire body ached as if she were ridden with illness.  
They both jumped up from their seats and grabbed their mother, clutching her on each side, just like when they were children when they were frightened of something. She wanted to comfort them, but she couldn't do anything but cry.

She took several deep breathes and suddenly a calm came over her. She was experiencing a moment of clarity; she knew what she had to do. She gave both of her girls a squeeze and realized they were crying too. She kissed them both on their cheeks, giving them a weak but genuine smile.

"What are we going to do?" Caroline asked through her tears.

"We're leaving bobsey." She said as she broke away from her girls.

"Go to your rooms, get a backpack and pack 2 pairs of pants, sweaters, t-shirts and an extra pair of comfortable shoes, as much as you can fit."

"What about Andrea? Are we just going to leave her here?" Cassidy's face was unbelievably red, her eyes wet with tears.

"Of course not, I am going to take you two to the entrance, the elevator, remember? I will go get Andrea and you will wait for me to return with her."

They looked at her like they hated the idea of being left alone. They would have to deal with it. Taking them with her to bust Andrea out was not an option.

"But my babies, there is a possibility that you will have to leave without us, if I do not make it back, you will have to be brave and you will have to leave Andrea and me behind."

"No! Mom, please don't leave us alone!"

"I cannot bring you with me and we cannot stay here." She pulled away from them and headed toward her bedroom again.

"Pack your bags." She called out over her shoulder, her voice commanding their cooperation, just before she shut her bedroom door.

She opened her closet and yanked a couple purses from their places. She reached inside of a beige clutch and pulls out several small metal parts and a motherboard. She grabs three more small purses and finds 3 large metal pieces; she puts them all on her bed in a pile and assembles the device quickly.

It was a gun, but one that she had designed herself. No one else had this weapon; the technology inside of it was exclusively hers. She had been working on it for years and had just recently perfected it. It was laser technology. It allowed her to make projectiles from any solid surface, therefore never running out of ammunition and it also allowed her to move large objects with the help of high frequency beams. It was easily concealable, no bigger than a derringer, fitting perfectly in the palm of her hand.

She laid it on the bed and grabbed another set of comfortable clothes from their hangers and began to stuff them into a black knapsack. She quickly pulled off her clothes and then pulled on black pants, a black sweater with a hood and then slipped on a pair of dark boots. She had to do something before they could leave. She needed help from someone in security if they had any hope of getting out of here alive.

She grabs the pack by one strap and walks back into the living room. She set it on the couch before she grabbed her glasses and slipped them onto her face.

"Girls, I will be right back. Keep packing. We will leave as soon as I get back."

"Are you going to get Andy?"

"No, I have to go see a friend. We need his help. I promise I won't be long."

"What if they come when you're not here? What do we do?"

"Do not answer the door for anyone but me. If they make their way in, don't let them know that you know anything about Andrea or that you were packing. Tell them I have not yet returned home."

Miranda steps out of her building, onto the streets of Metropolis. She pulled her hood over her head, masking her signature white locks. They would immediately give her away to any passerby. If they were looking for her, they would only have to search for her silver head in a crowd and would find her quickly. She walked briskly with her eyes to the ground. The glasses and her hood over her head allowed her to somewhat blend into the crowd in the streets.

The building she needed to visit was not far from here, but her heart pumped inside of her chest angrily, adrenalin spilling into her bloodstream. This was her only hope, without this man's help, she was sure she would die just trying to get to Andrea in her cell. Everything relied on him. She prayed as she walked that the lord would provide the man with the courage to say yes.  
She easily found his building and slipped inside a back entrance and up a service elevator to the 12th floor. She had little trouble sneaking into his small apartment. He was not home yet. He was likely still at the bar with his friends. She would wait for him in the darkness until he came through the door.

Not long after she knelt down in the shadow of an armchair in the corner of the room, the front door clicked with the lock being turned and the door being opened. The man stepped through with a slight stumble, obviously a bit lit from his time at the bar. She took her chance when he closed the door and locked it, before he had the time to turn on the light.

She stepped lightly until she was behind him. She pointed the nose of her gun to the back of his naked head. He jumped a bit at the coolness of the nozzle and she saw the chills break out down his neck. He gasped and a shiver ran down the length of him

"Who are you? What do you want?" He said as he put his hands up, his voice giving away every bit of his fright with its tremor.

"Nigel, I don't want to hurt you. I just need your help" Miranda replied, still out of his view.

He didn't need to see her face to recognize her voice. His shoulders relaxed when he realized it was his old friend. He somehow knew that she would not hurt him, In part because he would do nothing to make her.

"Miranda? What is it? What do you need?" He said as he slowly turned around to face her. She lowered her weapon when she could read his features. When she knew for sure that he was no threat to her.

"Have you heard about Andrea, yet?" She asked as she walked over to the windows and shut the blinds and then the curtains. She wanted no witness to their encounter.

"Yes, of course. Nearly every security officer knows." He said with a look of great sadness.

"I'm so sorry Miranda." He said as he reached for her in an attempt to comfort her.

"Don't do that. Not yet. I _need_ your help." She said as she pulled away from him. Her nerves entirely too shot to accept anyone's touch. She knew his meant to comfort her because Andrea was as good as dead, and she refused to accept that.  
"With what?" he pulled his hands back to his sides, sliding them into his pockets.

"Help me get my girls out of here. You are the only person I trust in lunar command to help us. "

"Miranda… I don't know if I can do that. If they catch me, they will do awful things… I've seen what they do to traitors. They'll torture me... I…"

Miranda closed the space between them and roughly grabbed onto him, clutching both of his arms and making him look into her eyes. He needed to know how serious this was. That it meant more than his life to say no.

"I'm begging you Nigel. Although I will do this with or without you, without you I know that I will not make it. Once they find out it's me, they won't take the risk. They will get rid of my entire family" her eyes were crazed. She was more intent than he had ever seen her.

In that moment Miranda contemplated dropping to her knees; she would if that was what he wanted, if it would make a difference. She would beg him, bow to him. She would do anything. She needed his help, or her chances of success were slim.

He looked into her eyes, saw everything that she was trying to communicate but could not say with words, and it stung him deeply. It was an awful thing to think of her children and her wife and the end that they would come to. Just as he thought of her, he thought of his own end and images of knives, fire and a pool of water for him to be drowned endlessly flashed inside of his mind. He couldn't do it. He just couldn't.

"I'm sorry, Miranda. I can't."

She dropped to her knees, not out of supplication, out of exhaustion and a feeling of great loss. She could not stop the tears from flowing or the terrible noises that came from her as sobs wracked her frame. He had never seen a thing so pathetic, so sad in his entire life.

"Oh god, Nigel. I never knew you to be such a coward!" She wailed at his feet.

She stayed there for a long moment, letting the emotion overwhelm her, she had to let herself get it out but she couldn't lie there forever. She gathered herself before she stood again. She brushed herself off and took steadying breaths. She slowly slid her hood back over her head, slipping on her black rimmed glasses and heading to the door. She had never felt so helpless in her life. She wanted to shoot Nigel for his cowardice and she came very close to it. But it would do no good. She gave him one final look, a look of disdain, disappointment and grief. She needed him and he refused to help.

She understood his reasons, but she hated him for his choice.  
Without another word she left the apartment, leaving Nigel to his thoughts in the darkness of his tiny home. When he was sure she was gone, he fell to the floor on the very same place that she was just moments ago and cradled his bald head in his hands as he cried. He hated himself, but more, he hated this place for making him decide between his life and the lives of his dear friend and her family. He knew he had to help, he just couldn't find the strength in him to do it.

Miranda walked as fast as she could without running back to her penthouse, her mind was racing. She needed Nigel, She needed him and he would not be there. Her thoughts stormed inside of her head, she could almost see the angry rain clouds and the lightning striking, the great thunderstorm inside of her personifying. Anger overwhelmed her. She had to get a grip on herself, she knew they would be coming to question her soon. She did not want to be there. They would see straight through her lies, when it came to something so important to her, lying was something she couldn't get away with. The truth would be written in her features. She had to get out of here, fuck Nigel.

When she got back to her home, her girls were ready. Their back packs stuffed full and the both of them dressed similarly to their mother. She smiled weakly, seeing the determination in their eyes, and in their stance. They wanted to get Andrea back just as badly as she did. They equally wanted out of here, especially now that they knew what this place was and the people that controlled every alley and mind of it. They were frightened but ready, as ready as they would ever be.

"How did it go? What did your friend say?" They stared

"We can't count on him." She said as she walked into the kitchen, stuffing some water bottles and a jar of peanut butter into her bag. She gave one final remorseful look at her home and sighed.

"Let's go" She flung the bag onto her shoulder and she opened the front door.

Their entire walk to the entrance to Metropolis was nerve wracking. She was aware of everything around her, treating every person that passed them as a potential enemy. She was worried they would be obvious with their big backpacks on their backs but no one had noticed them. There was a small clearing before the entrance to the elevator. Just before the doors, there was a group of large pine trees. She knew it would be a good place as any to hide the two of them while she went to retrieve Andrea.

She led them down a small dirt path and sat them right beneath the farthest tree to the city. She looked up at the night sky and could not see the moon. It was a temporary blind spot for the LC. She knew they would be safe, but only for a short time.

"Alright, stay here. Do not move until I get back." She said before cupping both of their reddened cheeks with regret and indecision shining all too obviously in her eyes. This was a horrible feeling. She wished she could be in two places at once. She wanted to stay and make sure they would be protected, but she had to make her way to Andrea soon or her window of opportunity would pass.

"I love you, babies. Remember what I told you?" She said, tapping on the digital watch on Cassidy's wrist. "That door will open at 12:58, If I'm not back by 1AM, you have to leave without us." Miranda sat down her bag with the girls.  
They looked at each other and then at their mother and nodded. They sobbed their goodbyes, knowing begging there mother to stay would be useless and would only waste precious time. They held onto each other while watching Miranda leap through the pines and back out into the clearing. They sat in silence as they counted each second until her return.

This was it. Miranda had to stay focused. She moved stealthily toward the corrections facility east of the Capital plaza. It was a great distance from the entrance. Each step she took forward felt like a mile between her and her children. She tried her best to remain calm. She began to recall every bit of her training from the academy so long ago. She remained conspicuous in the crowd, unseen, unnoticed. She walked with her head down, only peaking up every so often; to make sure she was headed in the right direction.

Meanwhile, Nigel was arriving for his night shift in Lunar Command. It was only he and two other men in charge of the surveillance of the entire city for the next couple of hours. His eyes watched the huge screen of video feeds in front of him. One of the squares alerted him to suspicious activity from someone on the streets.

He dragged the image to his table top and zoomed in, watching the person closely. He realized quickly that it was Miranda. She was doing it. At this very moment, she was on her way to get Andrea. He felt panicked, he suddenly thought of every possible way to distract his two colleagues long enough to help his friend. He even thought of getting rid of them all together. He was shocked by his insolence, but seeing Miranda acting it out, seeing her doing it, and all alone, he couldn't stand by and watch. Saying no, was not nearly as easy as he thought it would be. He walked over to the break room and began to brew a pot of hot coffee.

It was easily the longest walk of Miranda's life. She clutched her weapon in her pocket, feeling herself sweating against its metal pieces. She was so goddamn nervous, she could hardly stand it. She wished there was another way, and she wished more than anything that Nigel would have been there for her. She kept moving forward with determination. She was ninety percent sure she would die in her attempt, but that small ten percent of hope was enough to propel her toward her wife, whatever will come, she would at least see her one last time.

The stream of dark liquid from the coffee maker turned to a slow drip and Nigel knew it was ready. He sat three mugs on the counter next to it and poured a generous amount into each. He put two sugars into his, and he sat his mug aside. He pulled a small vial of liquid from his pocket and poured half of it into one mug and the rest of it into the other.  
His heart raced as he shoved the vial back into his pocket. He took his cup to his desk and returned to retrieve the two others. He walked over to Mark's cubicle and handed him the steaming brew. The man took it with a smile and a nod of appreciation. Nigel handed the other cup to his other colleague, Daniel, and the man accepted it without expression.  
Nigel walked calmly back to his desk and sat, eyeing the feed of the suspicious person on the glassy surface of his workstation. He sipped slowly at the sweet, hot liquid in his hands, and waited.

* * *

Thank you all for your patience these last couple of months. I don't see how some of these other authors manage college and keeping up with their stories. I have awhile before my summer courses start so I'll try to do as much as I can. I never forget about my readers and I appreciate every single view and review. It means a lot to me to know you guys are digging it. Stick with me!

-X


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7.

The city was under constant surveillance, and Nigel was in charge of it for last part of the evening and the first hours of the morning. He waited at his glass desk for the elixir to reach the blood stream of his two security colleagues. He was violating every oath and code of conduct he had once held so close to him by pouring the liquid into his subordinate's mugs. He held the life of his friends closer, though. He could see that much now. He tapped his foot nervously on the ground, and chewed on the end of his stylus. His dark eyes were wide and attentive toward only one body in the video feeds, Miranda.

Her hood was up, she was careful to hide her features from every camera she passed. She hid in the black of the shadows between buildings when she saw a councilman and his wife. She knew what she was doing, and hardly anyone noticed the woman marching past them. She walked fast and with purpose. She was a woman on a mission and she intended to see it through. Nigel's chest swelled in admiration of her bravery. He couldn't say that he would have done the same for his past lovers, but he had never known a love like the one that Miranda and Andrea shared. He would do as much as he could. He knew it was important to protect such a beautiful thing.

He swiveled his chair around to nonchalantly glance at the two men at their desks. They were beginning to yawn and stretch in their seats. One had his hand propped up under his chin, his eyes beginning to look drowsy. _Any minute now_, Nigel thought to himself, scratching at his scruffy facial hair. He had not shaved in about a week and his beard was growing in patches. He could never grow a full beard, so he would not normally let it go but he just hadn't cared to keep up with his appearance lately. He figured it was because of the stress of his high position in Metro surveillance, but he also knew it was because he was not exactly happy here.

He never quite bought that what they were doing was right but his instinct was to survive, not to question the morality of it all. Some other schmuck would have been sitting in his chair if he were not. That same schmuck would also be living in his apartment, occupying his vacancy as a citizen of Metropolis. He was here because he wanted to be but now he was not so sure exactly what he wanted.

Living here seemed to be the only choice that didn't involve death or misery. He never thought one could die without physically doing so but lately he had begun to think otherwise. Something about living so far from sunlight and working the same job he had no passion for every night, he imagined, could do that to a person. He knew helping Miranda was right. At the moment he was scared but this was something that he felt good about. He was alert to any movement behind him, once the sleeping agent kicked in he would have to act fast.

Miranda's feet stomped the concrete beneath them, cursing every square inch of this place with the muted rubber of her feet. She was getting close. She was walking past the magnificent structures of the capitol, it shown bright even in the darkness of the night. Like the beautiful centerpiece of the city. She knew that the corrections facility would soon be in view. Her mind raced with different pieces of information that she tried to put together to form her strategy. The guards at the entrance would prove a nearly impossible feat but she would take her first opportunity and go for it.

She stopped when she saw the entrance to the Metropolis Corrections building. It was a dark gray concrete, heavily fortified, although she was not exactly sure why. The entire city was enclosed and each citizen was screened relentlessly before they were allowed citizenship. There was no particular need for police. This place was for dissidence and generally bad behavior. They had a reeducation wing where those that they thought could be taught to behave were sent. She knew Andrea wouldn't be there. She was too smart to be brainwashed into believing this was a good place or that everyone in it was there for a higher purpose. She had no desire to serve and or to be a ruler of the new world. No, Andrea would most certainly not be there.

She noticed bared windows on the opposite side of the facility. That had to be it, Andrea must be somewhere behind the metal bars and concrete. It was three stories. She figured her wife to be on the top floor, making her risk of escape minimal. She looked up and down the streets, quickly counting every guard she saw. They were hard to spot, their uniforms were simple black suits, black ties and white shirts, they blended into the crowd's general attire, but she was able to identify them. The men looked like ex-military, their arms and necks thick with muscle, and their eyes more attentive than most. She counted nine of them outside.

Nigel heard a loud thump behind him. He turned his head around to see which one had passed out first. Mark was lying on the floor, his headset smashed under his large head. The other man, Daniel, looked over at the scene, startled but his eyes were barely open. He moaned lethargically. His brow furrowed in question of what Nigel was up to. The bald head officer looked up at Dan as he gave one final yawn before laying his head down on his desk. He began to snore almost immediately. Nigel was completely alone now. He gave a relieved sigh and walked over to the man passed out on his desk top. He would be easier to move because he was still sitting in his chair. He lifted the portly man's face from the glass and let him fell back into his chair. He bobbed there for a moment and his seat groaned in protest as he rocked back and forth.

Nigel observed the oily marks on his desk from his face and the video feeds Daniel's cheek had accidentally opened. He closed them all and then looked at his hands with disgust before he wiped them on his dark pants. He wheeled the man into the break room and laid his head on the counter, letting him sleep comfortably. He came back for Mark and stood over him for a moment, trying to decide how he was going to move such a large man. He had a bad back and knew it would cause his a lot of pain to drag him, lucky for him the break room wasn't more than twenty feet. He would have to tough it out. He knew for damn sure he couldn't just let him lay there in the middle of the command center.

He squatted and shoved Mark to turn him over on his back. His arms flailed out to his sides. They hit the ground with a muted thump. He grabbed both of his meaty arms and pulled. The pain in his lower back raged and he cried out, nearly collapsing. He stood and stretched his muscles and then bent over to try again. The pain ripped through him, angrier than before but he powered through it. He didn't have time to fuck around with this all night. He pushed through it, dragging the man quickly as he walked backward into the small room. He thought of Miranda on the floor of his apartment earlier that evening. The sound of her cries, the agony that she so clearly communicated to him. He thought of the pain she would feel if they did not succeed tonight, and it propelled him backward with a strength he did not know he had inside of him.

Once Mark's feet cleared the door way, Nigel collapsed to the ground. His eyes were watering and he felt his back muscles spasm from the abuse. He stood slowly, one hand at his back in hopes of denying pain access to his nerves but it provided him little relief. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He walked hunched over back to his desk. He sat in his chair and looked around. The place was dark, the only lights coming from the desk tops and the large wall of video feeds. It was time to get to work. He looked at his hands. He was shaking from all of the nerves and the pain that assualted his body. He flexed his hands, trying to gain control of them again before he sat them back on his desk with a sigh. It was time to get to work.

It took him a moment to find Miranda again. She was right outside the Metropolis Corrections Center, she seemed to be casing out the place from across the street. He wiped his brow of the bit of perspiration from his efforts and began thinking of what he could possibly do to distract the guards outside of the MCC long enough to allow Miranda to slip inside. He sipped at his now cold cup of coffee, rubbing his lower back with his other hand. He pressed an icon on the screen that would allow him to speak directly into the ear of one of the guards outside. He chose Guard 113, he took a look at the feeds and picked a random person in the crowds outside the capital that would provide a good distraction for a bit, he found one and pressed down the talk option.  
"G one-one-three, we have a suspicious person on the front lawn of the capital, please send nearest agents to question. Approach with caution, you will be receiving a photo shortly. Nigel saw the guard nod toward the nearest camera and walk away from his post.

The lone surveillance officer opened another window on his glass top showing three dimensional floor plans for the Corrections facility. He observed the skeleton of it, studying the wires and pipes that ran throughout. He pressed the R option for the education wing and decided to turn the water in several of the rooms to maximum pressure. Inside, water began to fill the toilets, spilling over and flooding the rooms quickly. Water spat from every outlet it could find. The entire staff ran toward the mess. They were certain this was a conspiracy among students to coordinate an escape. He knew they would put the entire wing into lock down and every staff member would be on their way to make sure they had full control of the situation. _That will do for now. _Nigel whispered to himself. He sat biting his thumbnail nervously. He hoped Miranda would make her move soon.

Miranda saw the guards coagulate into a group of five and watched them mob across the street toward the front of the capitol. This was the opportunity that she had been waiting for. She looked both ways and then crossed the street toward the front of the facility. She gripped her weapon in her hand tightly, ready to draw it if she had to. She stopped just short of the front door and peeked inside. Surprisingly enough there was no one at the moment guarding the entrance. She stepped inside with great care. Her senses heightened, watching for shadows, and listening for footsteps that were not hers. There was no indication of trouble.

Nigel saw that she had gone inside and went back to his floor plan of the MCC, locking the outside doors behind her and then then opening up the options for full lock down. He chose partial lock down of the building, just the education wing. He trapped all who were in it until Miranda was in the clear. He pressed an icon to release all locks on the access doors on that side of the facility housing prisoners. She would be free to move throughout the wing for a short time. People would start calling him any moment now about the locks, she had to move fast.

She let her hood fall onto her back, her silver hair wild and out of place. She ran her fingers through it, the warm perspiration at her roots held the hair away from her face as she combed it back. She removed her glasses and allowed her eyes to adjust before she shoved them into her back pocket. She pulled her weapon from her sweater and held its nose to the ground as she reached for the large metal door that led to the holding cells. She noticed the keypad near it and expected it to be locked. The handle gave way. She didn't believe her luck.

She slid inside and saw that there was no one at their post in the hallway either. She peaked through the small rectangular glass of one of the cells, she saw a man curled in the corner of the plain white room on his metal cot. The only light was that streaming in from the window from the hallway, but she could see him clearly. He was simply staring at the wall, it looked like he was absent of mind, but she knew that look. It was the look of a broken man. She hoped they had not yet had the time to break her Andrea. The man looked up at her and his eyes begged for her mercy, for her help.

She tore her eyes away, focusing on the task at hand. She could not save everyone. She had to remember that if she was going to save the one person that she came here for. Mid stride she realized that this wasn't just luck. It was… _Nigel_. She looked up into the nearest Camera as she realized this and nodded, acknowledging that he was there and that this was his doing. She smiled as much as she could given the circumstances and continued on down the fluorescent hallway. She wasn't feeling so helpless now that she knew she had his help. She walked quickly, her eyes peeled for the door that accessed the stairs.

Near the very end of the hall she saw a small red sign that read _stairs_. She was feeling more and more confident of her success the longer she was here, but her heart beat faster and faster the closer she got to her goal. Everything was going so well, but she had to stay vigilant. Anything could go wrong at any second. Too much confidence could kill her. She pulled at the handle of the heavy door and it gave way without resistance. She climbed the steps, nearly running up them, hearing her footsteps echo softly in the small area. She worried briefly that someone might hear her. She slowed as she reached the top of the stairwell.

When she approached the door to the third floor she stopped to catch her breath and allow the burn in her legs to calm. There was a small rectangular window on the heavy metal door. She tried to peek through it and down the hall. She could not see much more than the two rooms across from her. She pushed the door open, and cautiously poked her head out. She looked down the brightly lit hallway.

Adrenalin poured into her system and made her heart pump even faster when she saw two men standing outside of a room in the very middle of the hallway. _Andrea_. She pulled herself back in and pressed herself up against the wall, holding her gun at the ready against her chest. Her other hand pulled the door slowly to close, trying with all of her might not to make any noise as she shut it. She looked over at the camera in the corner. Hoping Nigel could do something.

Nigel nearly spilled his coffee onto his desk. _What were these two oafs still doing at their posts?_ He had relieved everyone from their positions to attend to the problem in the education wing. They must have been specifically assigned to guard Andrea. She was, after all, enemy number one at the moment. They had no one else in their custody that had spoken the way the young woman had dared and certainly not directly to the council. The men would not leave even if he ordered them to. His options were very limited. He acted quickly. He released the locks on all of the cells on the floor. He watched as each door clicked open and prisoners one by one emerged from their rooms. His hand clutched the arm of his chair. His nerves were getting the better of him. He wanted nothing more in the moment to be there with Miranda, just so she weren't facing it alone. He knew he was most helpful right where he was, but he wanted to be down there, fighting alongside her. Watching it from a distance was becoming nearly too intense for him to handle

"Hey! Stop! I'll shoot!"

Miranda heard a guard yell from the other side of the door. She was sure she had been caught. Surely the men had seen her closing the stairwell door. She peeked through the window quickly and saw the orange jumpsuit wearing prisoners emerging from the open doors of their cells.

"Everyone get back in their rooms! Anyone in the halls will be shot!" She heard him yell again.

This was her chance, she had to take it. She took a deep breath and threw the door open, she dove into the dark room across the hallway, and landed with a thump. The fall knocked the wind out of her. She quickly pressed her body against the floor, in a prone position. The floor was polished cement. She slid across it with ease. Ignoring the aches that immediately came to her, she crawled on her stomach to the doorway the cool of the concrete seeping through her sweater. Her weapon was just as cold, but it was more than ready to spit its improvised projectiles.

She listened, hearing her own labored breath and the heavy footsteps near the other end of the hallway. All in one moment she kicked with her feet and ejected herself from the room. She was sliding across the floor, when she was able to see the guards busy at the other end of the hallway, no prisoner in her line of fire, she took aim at one of the men in a dark suits and shot twice. She heard the bits of metal hit one of them and saw him fall to the floor. She quickly arched her back and kicked herself off of the wall and slid back into the room for cover.

"Who was that?" The only remaining guard yelled, panic leaking from every syllable. The man had not seen her. He was scared and confused as to how a prisoner came across a weapon down here.

"Show yourself!" He called out with a confidence that surprised his own ears.

Miranda lay there, still prone, her ears ringing from the loud explosions inside of her weapon but still attuned to everything around her. She heard the loud echoing chatter of the prisoners in their cells. She heard them contemplating a break for their freedom. She heard arguments about death and the futility of their escape from the floor. What would they do once they got out of here? Where would they even go? Would they test the only standing guard?

She heard the heavy footsteps approaching her location. She stood silently and pressed herself against the wall next to the door. The footsteps were getting louder and closer. She saw the shadow of the guard checking the cell next to hers. She wanted to take him by surprise. She stepped out of the room and without hesitation, it was reflex, she shot the large man in front of her. She heard the sound of her gun discharging, and felt its hard metal body recoil in her hand.

He fell to the ground with a hard slap, blood spilling from the holes she put in him onto the impeccable cement floor. She bent down and picked up his weapon, and unclipped the extra magazines from his hip. She heard men and women prisoners stepping out from their cells and felt their eyes upon her. They were equally afraid and in awe of the mysterious woman they believed to have set them free.

"Miranda?" She heard a sweet familiar voice call to her.

She looked up from the bloody mess she had made and saw her wife standing in the hallway. She was still in her long elegant red dress. She did not have her shoes, her dress was dirty and ripped in places. She ran to her and wrapped her arms around her fully, both weapons still in her hands, she crushed her with all of the affection she felt inside of her. They both wept out of sheer relief. Andrea was so sure of her death, that it had been quite a shock to see her wife before her, hunched over the body of a man she had just killed to get to her. She would never again doubt Miranda's resolve, or her ability to follow through.

"How?" the young brunette asked as she lifted her head from her wifes shoulder.

"Oh, Andrea, I couldn't let them take you from me" The white haired woman smiled through her tears. Her eyes had never been such a vibrant blue. Andrea had never thought her more beautiful than in this moment.

"You are everything. I could not hope to go on without you by my side" Miranda said before she crushed her lips against hers, as if they were alone in the world, as if they did not have an audience of stumped, orange jumpsuits around them.

"What now?" Andrea wiped the tears from her eyes.

Miranda reluctantly pulled away from their embrace and walked over to the first man she shot and took his weapon. She rolled him over, flinging his coat out of the way and unclipped the magazines on his hip. She handed both black semi-automatic pistol she had taken from the guards and handed them to Andrea.

"We're getting the hell out of this fucking city" She said as she quickly led her young wife by the small of her back down the hallway, back toward the stairwell.

"Wait, Miranda. I-I don't know how to use these" Andrea said as she lifted the heavy weapons in her hands, looking at them and then at her older wife.

"I have never fired a gun before in my life"

Miranda looked at her wife incredulously, and couldn't help but smile. She took one of the pistols from her small hands. She pulled the slide back, checking that the barrel was clear. She pointed it to the end of the hallway, aiming for the access to stairs sign. Andrea stood behind her and watched.

"I don't have time to train you, so just listen and watch me carefully"

"Always keep your finger away from the trigger until you're ready to shoot" She said as she aligned her sights.

"Never point the gun at anything you do not intend to kill"

"Take aim, Inhale, exhale, hold your breath and give the trigger a squeeze until" The gun kicked back in her hand, a powerful recoil that she was afraid her young wife might not be able to handle. She saw the hole, in the center of sign. She was happy to know she had not yet lost her skill.

"Try it, quickly" Miranda urged as she moved out of the way.

Andrea stood firm, aiming for the hole in the sign at the end of the hallway. She took one deep breath, letting the oxygen fill her lungs, and then blew out, emptying them. She pulled the trigger as she held the last bit of air left inside of her. The gun kicked back against her hand, rattling her bones and deafening her ears. The power of it startled her. She looked at her work and realized she had not even hit the sign, her hole was somewhere near the ceiling. She did not see her wife cringe behind her.

"Good enough" Miranda shrugged.

They really had no time for practice. She hoped that Andrea would not have to actually shoot anything. She led her the rest of the way down the hallway to the stairwell door. She knew that once they were on the streets again, there was no way they wouldn't go unnoticed the entire way back to the entrance of the city. _God help us. _She thought to herself. Retrieving Andrea was one thing, but it was a miracle that they needed in order to escape Metropolis.


End file.
